


One of These Days

by garands



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, Short One Shot, based off 'goodnight n go'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-01 23:21:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19187326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garands/pseuds/garands
Summary: Zuko and Katara have an accidental sleep over.





	One of These Days

**Author's Note:**

> it's 4 a.m. so this is very much in its raw state. I will be back to edit this at some point later lmao. I recommend listening to goodnight n go by ariana grande b/c this is what came out after listening to it. someone please let me know if it's decent and/or if i should write smut about this because i feel it in my bones.  
> also on an unrelated note: maybe one day i'll finish my other multi chapter works hehehehe sorry

It begins in her modern literature class. 

The guy who sits in the back of the classroom is staring holes into the back of her head. Katara turns and stares back, rising to his challenge. She doesn’t miss the blush on his cheeks or how he averts his eyes when he realizes she’s caught him.

-

The exchange of glimpses goes on for half of the semester. The furtive glances and flirty smiles go unnoticed by no one.

She corners him after class one day, in a friendly manner of course. 

“What’s your name?” She writes her number down on a piece of paper she tore.

“Zuko,” he says. “And you?”

“Katara,” she hands him the slip of paper, letting her hand linger for a second. “Call me.”

-

They become tentative friends, almost more. But the semester is busy, and she hears mention of another girl.

And so she opts to pay close attention to him for the rest of the semester. Keeping careful watch of his eyes, his smile, his hands. _Oh god, his hands._ He told her once he used to play the piano, and the thought of that felt so blasphemous she nearly combusted.

-

She invites him to her apartment on the last day of class, taking comfort in the blush that caressed his cheeks.

Patience is not her strongest virtue, but she decides that waiting for him isn’t as bothersome as it could be.

“I’d love to,” he says.

-

He takes the last possible train back to the commons. It’s a simple routine but one she deeply enjoys.

They’ve taken to marathoning romantic comedies, and she has never felt this kind of fondness before in her life.

They sit close to each other, but it’s never enough. By the end of the night they’re side by side, thighs pressed to thighs and arms tangled.

-

Katara’s heater busts in the middle of Pride and Prejudice. Zuko scoots closer to her, draping his arm over her shoulders. She’s so dazed she misses her favorite part.

-

They fall asleep accidentally, the soft patters of rain lulling them into a comfortable sleep. She wakes up cold and alone. Zuko is nowhere to be found, the only evidence of his presence is an old receipt with his handwriting scribbled on it. She checks her phone, _11:30 p.m._ The last train had left fifteen minutes ago.

She shuffles to the kitchen to grab a drink, wondering if she should call him, when someone knocks on the door.

Katara swings the door open and finds Zuko, soaking wet, on her doorstep.

“I missed my train,” he said. The heavy rain plastered his dark hair to his forehead, covering his eyes. “Can I come in?”

And so he does.

-

They face each other on the couch, not quite meeting gazes. The silence is comfortable yet suffocating. She desperately wants him to say something, anything. But he’s all eyes and fiddling thumbs, so she speaks first.

“Do you want to sleep on the sofa?”

“That’s fine,” he whispers ( _why is he whispering?)._ “Do you have any blankets?”

She reaches between them for the one blanket she owns, a fuzzy and worn thing she’d received as a gift years ago.

“It’s the only one I have,” she smooths the fabric between her fingers. “If it gets too cold you’re more than welcome to sleep with me - not _with_ me with me, but like on the mattress - I’m done talking now.”

Heat rises to her cheeks, and she sees the action mirrored on Zuko’s pale skin. It’s a small comfort.

“I’ll let you know,” he says.

“Goodnight Zuko.”

“Goodnight Katara.”

-

She stares at the ceiling for a while before falling asleep, half remembering that the repairman hasn’t come to fix her heater yet. A happy coincidence.

-

It’s nearing midnight when Katara hears the soft padding of bare feet walking toward her room. She opens her eyes to see Zuko standing by her bed, blanket in tow.

“Can I come in?”

“Of course,” she rolls over and pats the space next to her. “I’m the big spoon, just so you know.”

He chuckles and places the blanket on top of the sheets gently.

“I would expect nothing less.”


End file.
